Through Thick and Thin
by Dying Swan
Summary: Formely known as The Everlasting Friendship. Ron and Hermione love each other, but misunderstandings and Fate test their friendship. Can they overcome everything and be together? COMPLETED!
1. The Realization

Hermione sat cuddled up in a chair next to the welcoming fire. But her mind wasn't on the words in front of her. She was thinking about someone who made her heart leap and her stomach fill up with butterflies when she was with him. She was thinking about Ron Weasley.  
  
After having many disputes with herself about the topic, she had no choice but to admit to herself that she was in love with him. She loved his red hair, she loved every freckle on his face, she loved his sense of humor, and she loved the little arguments they would constantly have. But even though she knew she loved him more than anyone in the world, she knew she could never tell Ron, Harry, or anyone else for that matter about her love for him if she wanted to keep their friendship.  
  
She looked up from her book. There he was, sitting at a table across the room playing a game of wizard's chess with Harry. Ron had just destroyed Harry's queen, when Harry looked up and caught her eye on them.  
  
"Hey, 'Mione! Come over here and watch me actually win this game for once...I hope," Harry called out.  
  
Hermione hesitated, but decided that she wasn't interested in the book anyway. She set it down on the table. "All right, I'm coming. Wouldn't want to miss the first time someone beats Ronald Weasley at chess."  
  
"Yeah, he'll beat me in his dreams," Ron retorted, then hesitated. "Do you want to play with me after I win in a few seconds 'Mione?"  
  
"No, thanks. I was never good at chess anyway," she answered, slightly blushing at the offer.  
  
Harry noticed and smiled. He had always know that his two best friends loved each other, and he was perfectly fine with it. He only wished that they would tell each other how they felt about each other. He decided to make another attempt.  
  
"So have either of you found dates to the Winter Dance yet?" Harry asked the two innocently.  
  
"No," both Hermione and Ron answered in unison. Their eyes met and they stared at each other for a moment, then turned away, blushing. Harry sighed. It was no good. Ron was as stubborn as the rest of the Weasleys, and Hermione was too shy to say much about it. He decided to let fate take it from here.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Ron lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He could hear Harry's deep breathing beside him, along with Neville's occasional snores. He was the only one awake. He was very tired indeed. He had a rough Quiddich practice that day, and Fred had worked them to death. He wanted to go to sleep more than anything, but he couldn't. Not as long as thoughts of Hermione Granger kept drifting through his head. He sighed.  
  
"Oh 'Mione, why can't you be mine?" he mumbled to himself.  
  
"That's because she doesn't know you want her to be," came the response from his right.  
  
Ron turned his head. Harry had been awake, at least for the past few moments.  
  
"What are you talking about, Harry? You know if she ever found out, it would be the end of our friendship."  
  
"But Ron, can't you see that she loves you too?"  
  
Ron turned his back to Harry. "Goodnight, see you in the morning," was Ron's reply.  
  
Harry sighed and wondered if his two friends would ever be together.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Meanwhile, Hermione lay awake in her bed, also staring at the ceiling. She was thinking about how Ron blushed when they looked at each other at the mention of the Winter dance. She really wanted him to love her like she loved him, and for him to ask her to the dance, but she knew he would never do that. Would he? She pushed that thought out of her head. Still thinking about Ron, she finally fell asleep.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Ron opened his eyes. The dream he just had made him determined to go through with his plan. That day, he was going to ask Hermione to the Winter dance. He looked at his clock. It was 4:16. Ron sighed. He knew it would be impossible to go back to sleep, now that he was thinking about Hermione. He got up and showered. Then he went down to the common room and sunk into a chair by the fire, waiting for it to be morning so he could talk to Hermione.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Hermione sat up in her bed, sweating. She had a horrible dream. Ron had just proposed to her, and Voldemort came along and killed him. She checked the time. It was 5:02. She decided there was no point going back to sleep since she would get up soon anyway to get ready for classes, so she got dressed and went down to the common room. She plopped onto the couch. "Why can't I be with Ron?" she asked herself.  
  
"You are with me. I'm right here," came the reply. Ron turned around in his chair and smiled. "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"  
  
Hermione turned beet red. "Umm...why are you up so early?" was the only thing that came to her lips.  
  
Ron's smile faded a little. "Is that all? Well if you must know, I had a dream about...wait, why are you up so early?"  
  
"Same as you...a dream," Hermione blushed.  
  
Ron sighed. This was the perfect opportunity to ask her but he was very nervous. He finally got up the courage.  
  
Ron came over to Hermione and took her hand into his. "Hermione, there is something I had been meaning to ask you for a while now. Will you, I mean, do you want to go to the Winter dance with me?"  
  
Hermione gasped. She wanted to scream out, "Yes! I had been hoping, wishing, and praying for you to ask me!", but instead she said, "Let me think about it, ok?"  
  
Ron's smile faded a little, but he just replied, "Sure."  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
After Hermione left her Arithmancy class, she headed up to the common room to look for Ron. She had been thinking the whole day, and she finally decided to say yes to him. He sounded like he really wanted to go with her, and she liked that. The reason that she didn't say yes right away was because she wanted his feelings for her to get stronger. She smiled and increased her steps toward the common room.  
  
"Password?" the Fat Lady asked.  
  
"Mirna Stella," Hermione replied.  
  
The portrait swung open and Hermione stepped in. She heard someone's voices coming from ahead. One was Ron's and the other was a girl's...Hermione got a funny feeling in her stomach.  
  
She put down her books and snuck into the common room, ducking behind the couch. Slowly, she looked over the edge. It was all she could do from crying out. What she saw shocked her beyond tears.  
  
On the couch, Ron and Lavender were kissing. But they weren't just kissing...they were making out. Hermione couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Ronald Weasley, I'll be damned if I go to the dance with you! I never want to speak to you again!" and with tears streaming down her face, she ran up to her room, leaving Ron and Lavender in each other's arms. Ron looked after her, guilty beyond belief. 


	2. Lies and Heartbreaks

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed and sobbed. How could Ron do this to her? She buried her face into her pillow. A knock came on the door.  
  
"Hermione, can I come in?" Ron's voice sounded timid and regretful.  
  
"Go away, Ron, just go away and leave me alone!" She turned back to her pillow. She knew that he would come in anyway.   
  
She was right. She heard the door open and someone walk in. A moment later Ron sat down on the bed beside her and put his arm on her shoulder.  
  
"Hermione, I am really, really sorry. I...well..." An explanation failed him. "I didn't mean to...it just happened. She came up to me when I was sitting on the couch and kissed me...I don't know what came over me, but I kissed her back...Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry!" He hesitated before speaking again. "I love you, Hermione."  
  
"All right, Ron, I believe you. You have my forgiveness."  
  
Ron's face lit up. "Great! So will you go to the dance with me?"  
  
Hermione sat up. "I can't believe the nerve of some people! Do you think it's that easy for you to get me? Do you think I am some toy you can pick up at any time and play with? Well, I'm not!" The tears started down her face again. "Why can't you be a gentleman, like Harry?" With that, she ran out of the room, leaving Ron stunned.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Hermione wasn't at dinner that evening. Ron and Harry sat in an awkward silence. Something was bugging Ron ever since Hermione exploded at him.  
  
"Harry, this morning, Hermione asked me why I couldn't be a gentleman...like you." Ron shifted uncomfortably. "Does she....fancy you, Harry? And tell the truth."  
  
Harry looked at his best friend and couldn't help laughing. "Hermione and me? We are just friends! She loves you, Ron, not me. I don't think you should worry about it. It will work out."  
  
"She might not love me after today," Ron mumbled.  
  
But this little talk with Harry relieved Ron a little, and he was relaxed, at least for a few moments.  
  
"Oh Roooooooon! Wait up!" Lavander ran up behind him and threw her arms around his neck. "When are you going to ask me to the Winter dance?"  
  
"Me? Ask you? I never said I would," Ron puzzled.  
  
"Well, I know you asked Hermione, but since she doesn't like you, you should go with me."  
  
"She--she doesn't like me?" Ron's hopes fell. "Did she say that?  
  
"Yes, last night. She told me that she was using you, to get to your brother...George," Lavender lied.  
  
Ron was furious, at Hermione, and at himself, for not seeing this before. How could Hermione do that to him? He had to take revenge.  
  
"Oh, well then Lavender, will you go to the dance with me?" He forced these words out with much effort. He knew he still loved Hermione, but maybe this would be enough to make her jealous.  
  
Lavender squealed. "Oh Ron!" She leaned over to kiss him, but he pulled away, and just in time to see a girl run by with tears streaming down her face. He recognized her as Hermione Granger.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Hermione's stomach growled. She looked at her watch. Ron and Harry should be leaving dinner about now, she thought. I'll head down there now.  
  
She got up and started downstairs, hoping not to run into Ron. She got to the common room and noticed that Neville was already there. "Oh, hello Neville," Hermione said.  
  
"Hermione, you know that Ron really loves you? He--he was crying last night because he thought you hated him."  
  
"Really? Um...well, thanks Neville. I am going down to dinner now, ok? See you later."  
  
Hermione's spirits were up. Ron must really like me then! she thought. As she ran down the stairs, she heard voices. She crept closer and recognized the voice to be Ron's. It said, "Oh, well Lavender, will you go to the dance with me?" Hermione's heart stopped. Anger filled her and tears started to run down her cheeks again. She ran past Lavender just as she was about to kiss Ron, and kept running, not stopping to look and see if Ron had seen her. 


	3. Quiddich and Confusion

Hermione wiped the tears from her face. She couldn't let Ron get her down like this. She had to talk to him and tell him that all chance of them being together was lost.  
  
She started down the stairs toward the common room, hoping to find Harry there. Sure enough, he and Ron were sitting at a table playing a game of Exploding Snap. Their Potions homework lay beside them, forgotten. Hermione took a deep breath and started toward the boys. Ron pretended not to notice her coming toward them.  
  
"Harry, could I speak to you for a moment, privately?" she added.  
  
"Well, I don't know...me and Ron were in the middle of a game..." Harry looked up at his friend. Her eyes told him that this was no laughing matter. It was important. "All right, lead the way."  
  
They walked over to an empty corner and sat down. "What is it?" Harry asked.  
  
"It's about Ron. He's been treating me like crap, but that's not what I needed to talk to you about. I wanted to ask you if you could do me a favor...and give this to Ron for me. I don't want to talk to that bastard."  
  
"Sure thing, 'Mione," Harry said as he took a cream colored envelope from Hermione's hand.  
  
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione smiled and gave her friend a warm hug. "You're the best."  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
That evening, after Harry and Ron had finished their game of Exploding Snap (not willingly, but they had been yelled at by Fred, George, and even Angelina for making too much noise), Harry took out Hermione's envelope. "Here, Ron, it's for you...from Hermione."  
  
Ron hesitated. This couldn't be pleasant. What did she want now? he asked himself. Ron felt his cheeks burn as he took the envelope. He carefully tore it open as Harry quietly slipped out of the room.  
  
"Dear Ron,  
  
I am regretful to tell you that I think that we should not try to work things out. We could never be a successful couple, because you seem to love Lavender. I want you to be happy, so I will just stop trying to interfere with you. Ron, I have always loved you, and always will, but I guess we will stop having any contact with each other. That is, unless you still want to be friends, because I am 100% ok with that. That is all I wanted to say. I will stop wasting your time now. If there is anything you need to talk over, please do so.  
  
Love always,  
Hermione"  
  
Love always? he thought. How can she say that when she loves George? Is there something I am not getting here? He decided to write back. He took out a quill and some parchment and began.  
  
"Hermione,  
  
I don't know what to say to you, besides that I've loved you ever since the second year when you got Petrified. I am really confused right now, so if you don't mind clearing things up, meet me in the Quiddich field after practice at seven.  
  
Love,  
Ron"  
  
He folded the parchment neatly and put it into and envelope. On the front, he tried to write "Hermione" as formally as he could, but it turned out way to loopy. He got up and went downstairs. Hermione was talking to Harry in low tones. Ron looked around for a place to slip the envelope from Hermione, and he saw what he was looking for. Hermione's bag was laying on the floor, open. He walked over to them and said, "Hey, Harry, where did you go?"  
  
"I, uh, had to ask Hermione something..." Harry replied.  
  
"Oh, ok." Ron really didn't care why Harry was there. He was just talking because he knew Hermione would look away from him, giving him an opportunity to slip her the letter. He did just that, pretending to knock Harry's Divination book to the floor. Harry saw it and grew concerned. He didn't want his friends to fight, so he hoped the letter Ron gave Hermione would be good.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Hermione looked at her watch. It was nearly seven, so she decided to start her journey toward the Quiddich field, where she would make Ron speechless. She had used charms to make her robes look perfect on her body and her hair lie in soft, neat curls. She had even let Parvati put a little charm on her to make her face appear to have make up. She knew she looked gorgeous, especially when she turned the heads of many boys as she walked past. On surprised her most of all. It was Draco Malfoy. Of course, his glance hadn't been long, because he recovered in time, but it made her more confident.  
  
She arrived at the edge of the field and saw Ron standing there waiting for her. She got butterflies in her stomach, but she tried to fight them down. She took a deep breath and walked to Ron.  
  
"Hermione! I'm so glad you showed up. I was worried you would ignore me..." Ron blurted out, but quickly stopped himself.  
  
"Well, I came so we could clear all this up. I--I thought you liked me, Ron, as in more than a friend...but I guess not, with what I have seen with you and Lavender," Hermione looked away.  
  
"I have always loved you, Hermione. It's you that has betrayed me."  
  
"Me? Betrayed you? What about you? You asked me to the dance, then you go off and make out with Lavender, and go to the dance with her?"  
  
"Yeah, well at least I am not using you to get to your sibling!" Ron yelled out in rage.  
  
Hermione stood there stunned. "Ron, what are you talking about? I haven't been using you..."  
  
"Don't give me that!" Ron interrupted. "Lavender told me all about it the night I asked her to the dance. She told me you loved George, not me!"  
  
"George? Well, maybe I should love George instead of you, HE at least treats me well and believes me, unlike some people..." and with that, Hermione turned on her heel and stormed off, back to the common room.  
  
Ron stood there, stunned. What did she mean she didn't like George? he thought. He started to think that maybe Lavender hadn't been telling him the truth that evening. "I love you, Hermione," Ron whispered as he started to walk slowly toward the common room.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Hermione walked into the common room, still frustrated with Ron. What was he talking about? And why had Lavender lied? She plopped down in a chair and noticed George move toward her from the corner of her eye. "Hello, 'Mione," she heard him say.  
  
"Oh, hi George."  
  
"Is something bothering you?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing," she lied, then quickly added, "Just the fact that I have no date for the dance..."  
  
"Yeah, I had been thinking about that too, and I was wondering if, well, if you'd like to go with me," he quickly said.  
  
"Why, yes, George. I had been hoping you'd ask me that."   
  
"Perfect!" George said, and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, then!" and with a smile, George disappeared into his dormitory.  
  
"Don't love George, huh? Then what was all of that? Did you think I'd never find out?" came a whisper from her right. It was Ron.  
  
Hermione turned beet red as she quickly jumped out of her chair and ran up to the girl's dormitories. She couldn't let Ron see her cry again.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
A/N...Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I have been really busy. More coming soon! Thanks to everyone that reviewed! Hope you enjoy all of this! The next chapter is the Winter dance! Oooo, what happens? Check back soon! 


	4. The Winter Dance

A/N Thank you my reviewers! If you read this, please review. I want to know what you think! Well, enjoy. Here's the next chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: Almost forgot to say that I don't own any of these characters, they belong to JK Rowling, but the plot is original and all mine. :)  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Hermione glanced in the mirror one last time. She decided she was satisfied with her appearance. She had straightened her hair again, just as she did for the Yule Ball. It looked gorgeous. She had put on her new dress robes, which were deep purple and had the appearance of velvet, and did a simple charm to take all the wrinkles out of them and to make the robes flow when she walked. She had learned how to apply Muggle make up from Parvati, and with all of those factors combined together, she was stunning. She smoothed her hair one last time and started downstairs.  
  
She grasped the handrail and looked at the most unpleasant site she wanted to see at this moment. By the couch in the common room, she saw Ron and Lavender. Lavender was trying to flirt with Ron. She was giggling (as usual) and trying to wrap her hands around Ron's neck. He had been pushing her away. He looked like his mind was on something else, or perhaps someone...This made Hermione wonder if...no, she quickly pushed that thought from her head.  
  
Lavander had also applied make up, but hers was layered onto her face and looked like you could cut it with a razor blade, as opposed to Hermione's mellow tones. She was dressed in bright pink robes, probably to attract attention to herself. Ron, on the other hand, looked amazing. He had saved enough money to buy himself some new dress robes. They were plain, just plain dark navy blue dress robes, but they made Ron look extremely hot. His hair was gelled, but not as much as Malfoy's. It had the look of wind-blown hair, yet it was very neat.  
  
Ron looked up when Hermione entered the room, but so did the rest of the Gryffindor house. It suddenly became silent when Hermione walked toward George. Harry broke the silence.  
  
"Hey, 'Mione! You look great!" he said. This broke the trace, and the rest of the students continued talking.  
  
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione smiled. She noticed Ron staring at her and quickly walked up to George. "Ready?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah...damn, 'Mione, you look so beautiful," George gaped.  
  
"Thanks," she replied, but she really wasn't flattered much. She couldn't keep her thoughts from wandering toward Ron.  
  
"Shall we?" George interrupted her concentration, maybe for the better, she thought.  
  
"Oh, um, sure." She hooked her arm under his and they started toward the Great Hall. I wonder if Ron will show up? she asked herself. Or maybe he'll spend all of that time in the common room with Lavander? She pushed all thoughts from her head except for one. She kept thinking about how she would have fun, Ron or no Ron.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
"Come on, Ron, don't go out there yet. We could stay in here a while and maybe..."  
  
"Lavander, I want to go. I promised Harry I would be there in 5 minutes." Ron was getting annoyed by Lavander. She was trying her hardest to flirt with him, but he only wanted to see Hermione. He grabbed Lavander's hand and dragged her out of the common room.  
  
As they walked, Ron noticed that they were one of the last ones to get to the celebration. He started to walk faster.  
  
They soon arrived at the Great Hall. It was breathtaking. There were about 15 giant Christmas trees around the Hall. They were much bigger than usual. Above them, large snowflake-shaped crystals hovered. Everything was sparkling. Ron spotted Harry and hurried over to him.  
  
"Finally, there you are," Harry exclaimed. "I'd thought you decided to skip it," Harry teased his friend.  
  
"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked in a hushed tone.  
  
"Over there, with George," Harry pointed to the dance floor where Hermione and George were dancing.  
  
Ron felt his heart sink. He didn't know why Hermione loved George. He really wanted to get closer to the dancing couple.  
  
"Come on Lavander, let's dance." He roughly grabbed her and they began dancing. Slowly, but surely, Ron had managed to edge toward Hermione. It seemed like Hermione had been moving toward him as well. Ron looked to his left and saw Harry standing beside him with a mischievious smile on his face. He winked at Ron, and then...  
  
"Oh, so sorry Ron! I can't imagine how this could happen," George apologized, smiling at Harry. Harry had pushed Lavander into Ron and caused him to fall back, knocking Hermione and George apart.  
  
"Hey, George, can you please come with me? I need to show you something. It's important..." Harry said.  
  
"Sure, Harry," George answered, and then too obviously asked, "Lavander, will you come too? There is something I must tell you."  
  
Lavander sighed, and decided she wasn't having any fun anyway, so she left with the two boys, leaving Ron and Hermione alone together. There was an awkward silence. Both of them just stood there, avoiding each other's gaze, but they couldn't pretend not to notice that a slow song had begun to play. Ron sighed. This was his only chance.  
  
"Um, Hermione? Will you dance with me? I mean, that's only if you want to." Ron blushed and looked down. A moment later he felt Hermione's hands lock behind his neck.  
  
"Of course I want to. You should know that." Hermione whispered. Ron looked up into Hermione's smiling eyes.  
  
"I have to ask you something. Do you--do you really like George?" Ron felt his heart flutter as he crossed his fingers.  
  
Hermione laughed, but seeing the hurt look on Ron's face, she replied, "No! I mean, he's my friend...but I went to the dance with him because I had no one to go with and...and I wanted to make you jealous." She blushed.  
  
"Really? So do you like me, Hermione?" Ron felt his hopes soar.  
  
"No," came the answer. Ron's hopes fell again. "I don't like you. I love you, Ron."  
  
Ron smiled like he never smiled before. "I love you too, Hermione."  
  
They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and both of them saw the hunger for each other in their eyes. They moved closer until their eyes were right across from each other. They stared for another moment, and then finally moved in to seal the kiss. Hermione felt warmth spread throughout her body as she felt Ron's lips pressed gently against hers. They stayed like that for what seemed like only moments, but it really had been a while. They would have continued for even longer if they hadn't heard some clapping and...  
  
"Woaw! Hermione! Ouw!" It was Harry. Beside him was George. Both were cheering.  
  
"Way to go Ron! My brother is finally a man!" George teased.  
  
Hermione and Ron stood for a moment, blushing, then looked at each other. "Hey, 'Mione? You wanna go talk in the common room?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yeah, I was hoping you'd ask that." Hermione smiled.  
  
They took each other's hand and walked up to the common room, leaving the glittering dance behind them, but as far as they were concerned, they had taken the best part of it with them...each other.  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
Here it is! Hope you liked it! I'm gonna work on the next chapter, but it might take a little while, cuz I'll be busy again. But please keep checking back! Love you guys! *muah* ~*Vicky*~ aka Ms. Weasley/Grint 


	5. Thoughts on Women

Ron and Hermione entered the common room and went to sit on the couch. Ron stared into the fire for a while, and Hermione played with her robes. Their eyes finally met and they smiled at each other.  
  
  
  
"So, did you want to talk about something?" Hermione asked.  
  
  
  
"Uh, yeah. I just wanted to explain that all these events with Lavender were a big misunderstanding," Ron said. "You're the only one for me."  
  
  
  
Hermione smiled. "Thanks, and I want to say that I'm really sorry for using George to make you jealous.It's just..."  
  
  
  
"I understand," Ron cut her off.  
  
  
  
"Thanks." They smiled at each other for a moment. Then Ron moved closer to Hermione. She got the hint and moved closer to him. When they connected, their kisses deepened. After a few minutes of fierce kissing, they fell back onto to couch, still lip locked.  
  
  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
  
Harry looked around the Hall. He was looking for Cho. He came to the dance without a date, and since he had hooked Ron up with Hermione and George had gone off to dance with Angelina, he was bored. He had thought about going up to the dorm, but it was still early and he wasn't tired. He thought maybe if he saw Cho, he could gather up the courage to ask her to dance. He spotted her by the punchbowl and butterbeers and made his way over to her.   
  
  
  
"Hey Cho," Harry said as his heart started beating faster.   
  
  
  
"Hi Harry!" Cho exclaimed. "Um, you know my date, Roger Davies, right?"   
  
  
  
"Uh, yeah," Harry choked. He had forgotten that Cho would probably have a date. "You're on the Ravenclaw Quiddich team, right?" he said to Roger.   
  
  
  
"Yeah," Roger said. He looked at Harry, then at Cho. He shifted uncomfortably.   
  
  
  
"So who are you with, Harry?" Cho asked.   
  
  
  
"Um, no one," Harry said, turning a shade of crimson.   
  
  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Cho said, looking embarrassed.   
  
  
  
"Well, shall we go dance, then?" Roger asked Cho, pulling her arm toward the floor.   
  
  
  
"Wait a moment, I want to talk to Harry a bit," Cho snapped. She turned back to Harry and smiled, slightly blushing.   
  
  
  
"Well, excuuuse me for just wanting to dance with my date," Roger said, rolling his eyes.   
  
  
  
"Roger, I know what you want to do. You do this with every girl that you date," Cho said angrily. "You want me to think that you're the sweetest guy, then get me up to your dormitory and..." Cho paused. "And I'm not falling for that." She turned to Harry. "You want to dance, Harry?"   
  
  
  
"Sure," Harry said hesitantly as Roger turned and stormed off. Harry saw him stop by Padma Patil and start flirting with her.   
  
  
  
"Will you look at that," Cho said. Harry could see tears rising up in her eyes. "Cedric would never had done that to me." Her bottom lip quivered, then she burst out in tears, turning to Harry and crying into his shoulder. Harry looked at her for a moment, slightly shocked, then awkwardly patted her on the back. He had looked for her to have some fun, but remembering Cedric wasn't his idea of fun.   
  
  
  
"Here, Cho," he said, handing her a bottle of butterbeer. 'This is going to be a long night,' he thought, sighing.   
  
  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
  
Everyone headed back up to their common rooms. None of the Gryffindors noticed Ron and Hermione on the couch. Some of them went straight to their dormitories alone or with friends, others had their dates still with them. The Common Room was empty for a while before Ron and Hermione finally sat up.   
  
  
  
"Maybe we should call it a night," Hermione said.   
  
  
  
"Yea h, sounds good," Ron replied. After one last kiss, the two took separate staircases up to their dorms. Ron opened the door to his dorm as quietly as he could, only to find that everyone was still awake.  
  
  
  
"Hey Ron," Dean said. "How was your-hic-time with-hic-Hermione?"  
  
  
  
"Dean's had a little too much butterbeer," Seamus explained.  
  
  
  
"Ah," Ron said. "What's up with Harry?" he asked, gesturing toward Harry's bed. Harry was sitting there with his hand on his forehead, his head leaning on his other arm.  
  
  
  
"Cho," Neville whispered. Ron walked over to Harry's bed and sat down.  
  
  
  
"What happened?" Ron asked.  
  
  
  
"She left her date and just as I was about to ask her to dance, she brought up the subject of Cedric and started bawling like a baby." Harry shook his head. "I need an Advil."  
  
  
  
"What's an Add ville?" Ron asked, confused.  
  
  
  
"It's a tablet that Muggles take to help their headaches," Harry mumbled. "Damn, women are such a pain."  
  
  
  
"Tell me about it," Seamus said. "I took Parvati to the dance and she wouldn't stop talking about how gorgeous Terry Boot was." Seamus sighed. "But she was rather happy when he came up and asked her to dance. She forgot all about me and ran off with him."  
  
  
  
"Well, I happened to have a good time," Dean said. "I took Ginny and she told me she really likes me." Dean smiled.  
  
  
  
"You're dating my sister?" Ron said, slightly shocked. Dean shrugged, so Ron thought nothing more about it.  
  
  
  
"So I guess your time with Hermione went well, huh?" Seamus teased. Ron smiled but didn't say anything. 'Not all women are a pain,' he thought. As everyone got settled in their beds, he could not think of anyone but Hermione.  
  
  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
  
A/N: Hehehe! Lookey here! I FINALLY updated! after like half a year! I just finally got in the mood. Sorry if anyone was waiting (I doubt it), but here it is! This is probably the last update for a while cuz I'll prolly go back to writing my other stories and forget this one, but at least it's progress! R/R! Luv ya all! *Vickay* formerly known as Rons Babe 


	6. Figure In the Dark

Hermione lay in her bed, reliving every moment of the Winter Dance in her head. She smiled to herself and sighed contentedly.  
  
'I love him so much! I don't think I've ever been happier,' she thought. Rolling over, she fell asleep.  
  
*Dream*  
  
Hermione was sitting in a cushioned armchair reading one of her favorite Muggle books, Heartbreaker. It was a sad love story about a young man who had to make a huge sacrifice in order to make the girl of his dreams truly happy. Hermione was holding her breath as her eyes scanned the words, "I'm sorry, Kitty...I never loved you." Tears welled up in her eyes.  
  
"You ok, sweetie?" a voice said. Hermione tore her eyes away from the page and looked up. Her eyes met Ron's. She jumped a little.  
  
"Ron! Shit, you scared me!" she gasped.  
  
"Sorry, babe. Maybe this will make up for it," he said, gently placing his lips on hers. She kissed back, inhaling the sweet smell of Ron's cologne. Or maybe it was just the essence of Ron. She let out a contented sigh. Ron slowly ran his hand through Hermione's hair, not breaking the seal their lips made. She put her book down and moved her hands to his neck. She softly started tracing patterns with her nails, knowing Ron liked it. Sure enough, after a few moments of this, Ron moaned into her mouth. Hermione couldn't help but giggle a little as Ron's hands traveled from her hair down her sides, tickling as they went, and pausing at her waist. Then, they continued on their way downward, finally reaching the hem of Hermione's short skirt. Hermione gasped softly as she felt Ron's hand sliding up her thigh. She arched her back slightly, breaking away from Ron's kiss. She closed her eyes and heard Ron say, "Ugh, Hermione, please spare us the moaning. Some of us are trying to sleep."  
  
*End dream*  
  
"Huh?" Hermione opened her eyes reluctantly.  
  
"Please...shut up," Parvati groaned from the bed next to her. "Stop talking in your sleep."  
  
Hermione blushed in the dark. What had she said? The dream wasn't something she wanted other people to know about. She rolled over onto her left side and closed her eyes once more, praying she wouldn't dream of anything.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron opened his eyes. Something had caused him to wake up, and he wanted to figure out what so he could go back to sleep. He sat up in his bed as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could hear a lot of noise coming from outside of the dorm door, apparently from the common room. Ron tried to listen to what the people downstairs were saying, but he could only make out a few words and phrases.  
  
"Broke in..."  
  
"Someone hurt..."  
  
"How?"  
  
Ron threw the covers off of himself and quietly walked over to Harry's bed.  
  
"Pst, Harry," Ron whispered, poking Harry's arm.  
  
"Ugh," Harry groaned. "What is it?"  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Before Harry could reply, the door opened, letting in an exceeding amount of light. Both boys squinted, bringing their hands up to their eyes to block out the rays. Once their eyes adjusted, they tried to distinguish the figure standing in the doorway. It was Professor McGonnagal.  
  
"Professor, what's going on?" Harry asked in a drowsy voice.  
  
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, I'm afraid I have some bad news." Professor McGonnagal's face was extremely pale. "It's Ms. Granger...she's..." She couldn't finish.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione woke to find herself shivering under the covers. She looked around sleepily and noticed that the window was open. Grumbling to herself, she unwillingly got out of bed and walked over to the window. She glanced out and her eyes settled on the full moon that was shining brightly outside. She smiled, thinking how beautiful it was and how much she wished that Ron was there with her at that moment watching it too. Her thoughts were interrupted by a quiet sound behind her. She whirled around, narrowing her eyes. She looked at each bed. Parvati was in her's, not moving at all. Lavender and the others were soundly sleeping as well. Or were they?  
  
Hermione took a few slow steps toward Parvati. She was in her bed, but she looked awkward. Her eyes appeared to be open, and her head was leaning back more than it should have been. Hermione cautiously picked her wand up from beside her bed and slowly made her way toward the nearest bed. She moved the curtain.  
  
"Lumos," she whispered, shining the light over the person in the bed. It was all she could do to keep herself from screaming out. There lay Parvati, eyes rolled back into her head and her throat sliced open. Hermione quickly backed away, but tripped over something on the floor. Looking down, she screamed. It was Lavender. She was sprawled on the floor, blood flowing from her throat as well. Not tearing her eyes away from the body on the floor, Hermione scrambled on the floor trying to reach the door. She was almost there when she heard someone clear their throat. She spun around and pointed her wand in the direction of the sound. There stood a figure, hooded and cloaked.  
  
"Who-who are you?" Hermione managed to choke out. The figure let out a quiet laugh. Hermione shivered at the icy voice.  
  
"It doesn't matter who I am. All that matters is that you're not going to be alive in a few seconds..."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened. One question stuck in her thoughts as a green light enveloped her: how could he have gotten in?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron raced past Professor McGonnagal and up to the girls' dormitory, despite her attempts to stop him. Miraculously, he made it up the stairs; for some reason they didn't turn into a slide this time. Perhaps it was because this was an emergency, but Ron didn't care about how he got there. He just knew he had to see Hermione...to find out if she was alright.  
  
He burst through the door, breathing heavily. His eyes darted around the room, searching for her. He saw his worst fear in front of him. A wand lay in the middle of the floor, shining a feeble ray of light around the room. Beside it lay a girl, her hair falling gracefully over her eyes, her arms at her sides. She appeared to still be breathing, but weakly. Ron rushed to her, gently picking her up in his arms.  
  
"Hermione..." he whispered. "Hermione, please...please don't die..."  
  
Ron cradled her body in his arms, burying his head into her hair and letting the tears fall. He rocked back and forth for a few minutes, crying silently. Suddenly, he felt Hermione stir. He looked down at her.  
  
"Ron..." she whispered.  
  
"I'm here, Hermione. I'm here. Oh thank god, you're alive..." A smile broke out on Ron's tear-strained face.  
  
"Ron, I'm dying..." Hermione's voice trailed off.  
  
"No...don't talk like that. Hang in there, we'll save you. You'll be ok."  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Avada kedavra, Ron. I'm going to die. It's a miracle that I'm not dead yet. I guess the shield spell helped after all."  
  
"Hermione, you're strong. You'll make it." Ron's voice was desperate. He was begging her not to die, but she wouldn't listen.  
  
"Ron, listen. I'm dying, and we can't stop it. Just listen. There's not much time left. Voldemort...he did this. Tell Harry to prepare himself...this is it. They have to fight. Tonight." Hermione's voice caught in her throat and she let out a few feeble coughs. "Ron...never forget me. I love you." With that, Hermione's head sank into Ron's arms and her eyes closed.  
  
"No...no, you can't...please Hermione..." Tears fell down Ron's face again. "Hermione...I love you too." She was dead, and he knew it. It was over.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Ok, I think I'm wrapping this up (obviously, since Hermione died...) I honestly wasn't going to kill her off, but since happy endings are very rare in life, I decided that she was going to be murdered. The next chapter is going to be the final chapter. It might be a little short, but deal with it :-P Anyways, I'll hopefully update soon, since now I have time thanks to Thanksgiving break. Please review! 


	7. Goodbyes

Everyone gathered in the Great Hall, even the Slytherins, for Hermione's memorial. Quiet sniffles were heard among the students, mostly from the Gryffindors. Even Draco Malfoy wasn't talking. Sure, he'd made fun of her, calling her a mudblood and whatnot, but he never wanted her to die. Ron was the quietest out of them all, though. He was still in shock about what happened. The memory of that night played over and over in his mind in slow motion.  
  
Harry had come up just in time to see Hermione pass away. He cried silently as he watched Ron hold the love of his life for the last time. After Ron had gotten up, he had told Harry what Hermione had said. Harry had nodded quietly, then walked off to his dorm. The next night, Harry had gone up to the Astrology Tower to gather his thoughts before facing Voldemort, but the Dark Lord was already waiting there. They had engaged in a bloody fight, but miraculously, Harry had triumphed. He had suffered serious injuries, however. Madame Pomfrey had done her best to heal them, but Harry still had a huge scar on his arm. A few days later, Dumbledore had announced the date of Hermione's memorial.  
  
"Hello, students of Hogwarts," Dumbledore began. "It is with a heavy heart that I stand up here, and I wish that this was a nightmare and that we would all wake up very soon, but unfortunately, it's not. Hermione Granger has indeed passed on to a better place.  
  
We will always remember Miss Granger. She always had a twinkle in her eye, and a witty comment on her mind. She had the highest grades in the school and there was nothing she couldn't do. Well, almost nothing.  
  
I'm sure some of you already know, but for those that don't, I shall tell you how she died. She was murdered by Lord Voldemort, along with Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, whose memorial services will be held in the next few days." Padma burst out into tears at the mention of Parvati's name. Ron wrapped his arm around her and tried to console her.  
  
"This is a very tragic event. No one ever wants to bury their student, or their friend. Unfortunately, nothing can be done about this, so all we can do tonight is remember some of the highlights in Hermione's life. Mister Harry Potter has prepared a speech about his dear friend Hermione that he would like to read." At this, Harry got up and proceeded to the podium. When he got there, he cleared his throat and began to talk. He spoke about adventures the Golden Trio had, all the times Hermione helped him and Ron get out of trouble, all the times she got them in trouble, all the times she helped them with their homework, how much she meant to him and Ron...when he wasn't finished, there was not a dry face in the whole auditorium. He sat down, buried his head in his hands, and sobbed his eyes out.  
  
Dumbledore stood back up. "Thank you, Harry. I'm afraid this is all we can do for Hermione. I will now permit those of you who wish to see Miss Granger one last time and say goodbye to her to do so. Those who wish, may come up to the front of the hall and look upon her coffin." With that, he turned and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief.  
  
Students started filing up to the open coffin. One by one, they said their goodbyes and "I miss you"s. When Draco approached her, he stood by her a few moments, then softly said, "Goodbye, Hermione", and turned to hide his silent tears. When most people had left the Great Hall, Harry approached the coffin. He looked down at her body sadly and began to whisper. There he remained for quite a while, until his sobbing didn't permit him to speak any more. He turned and looked at Ron, who hadn't moved since the speeches, nodded, and left for the dormitories.  
  
Ron waited until he was alone in the hall to approach her. He walked slowly up to her lifeless body and reluctantly looked down. Tears welled up in his eyes as he admired her. She still looks beautiful, he thought. Just so very pale. He looked at her for half an hour, not speaking. Finally, his lips parted, but no words came out. He shook the tears from his eyes and said the only thing that was left to say. "I love you so much, Hermione." He slowly leaned over and stole one last kiss from his true love. Her lips were icy. With that, Ron turned and walked away, trying not to look back and fighting his urge to scream.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
*Ten years later*  
  
Ron adjusted the black bow on the bouqet of blood red roses he was holding before approaching the hill. He slowly made his way to the top, his face expressionless. He came to a sudden halt upon seeing the gravestone. He sighed before approaching it. He looked down at it and read.  
  
"Hermione Granger  
  
A great witch, a great friend, a great joy.  
  
We love you and miss you."  
  
He sighed again, then began to speak.  
  
"Hey, Hermione. It's me, Ron. I just came by to say hi and give you a little update on what I've been up to. Well, a lots changed after you were...after you left. Harry and I graduated Hogwarts...he was Head Boy. Harry went on to marry Ginny right after she graduated, and both of them became Aurors. I, on the other hand, contacted Oliver Wood...remember him?...and asked where I could try out to be a Keeper. He said that I could come play for his team...he was the captain. Isn't that great? I got a job straight from school. I knew you would have been proud of me.  
  
After a few years had passed by, I ran into Padma...Parvati's twin sister, remember?...and we started talking. A few days later, we went out on our first date. We were a great couple...but of course, not as great as you and I were, Hermione. Well, we dated for a few years, and then I finally asked her to marry me. I didn't love her as much as I loved you, of course...as much as I still do. Yes, Hermione, even after all of these years, you are still my only one. I knew that you'd understand, though. We got married, and now we have 2 great kids...twins, in fact. We named them Georgia and Fredda, in honor of their uncles. Hopefully, they'll be as fun as Fred and George are.  
  
Speaking of the twins, they both went off and started their joke shop. It's very successful, actually. They're filthy rich now. We all are. Oh, and speaking of rich, I'm sure you don't care, but Draco Malfoy ended up marrying Cho Chang...Harry's old crush, remember?" He chuckled. "They took us all by surprise."  
  
Ron looked down, his smile fading. "I miss you, Hermione. I miss you so much. Every day I think about you...from the moment I wake up, to the moment I close my eyes to sleep...and even then, I dream about you." He looked down the hill. Padma had gotten out of the car. She waved at him. He waved back. "Well, I suppose I'd better go," he said, turning back to the tombstone. "I'll never forget you, Hermione. I love you, and miss you terribly. I can't wait until I die. Then, we'll finally be together again." He placed the roses down on her grave. "Goodbye, Hermione." He turned and started toward the car, wiping a tear from his eye.  
  
Raindrops started to fall, slowly at first, then faster and heavier. Ron and Padma drove off, trying not to look back. Up in Heaven, Hermione was crying.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
THE END!  
  
A/N: That's it! Sorry it was so short! Hope you enjoyed my story! If you didn't, then I apologize for wasting your time. That's the end, and there will be NO SEQUEL. Please review! Goodbye, folks! 


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